


Fire Forged, Fate Fueled

by rosememenulas



Series: Reverse AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Chosen One Tom Riddle, Dark Lord Harry Potter, Indian Harry Potter, M/M, Universe Alteration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:01:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26552515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosememenulas/pseuds/rosememenulas
Summary: Thomas Marvolo Riddle didn't have a happy childhood. Abandoned by his father, his mother dead in childbirth, raised in an orphanage, it was all the makings of a great wizard, for only those who have felt the burning of fate can truly be great. Whether that be for the better or worse, that depends on the support system given. Who knows who Tom Riddle would've become if it weren't for his friends.Harry James Potter didn't have a happy childhood. Parents killed by the Dark Lord Grindelwald, raised alone in the Muggle world with only a brutish cousin and disgusting aunt and uncle for company, it was the perfect place for the future Dark Lord grow. Potter was great, that was no doubt, but he was cruel and unforgiving, demanding loyalty with each swipe of his wand. Who knows who he would've been if he had been shown love.(Basically a reverse fic where they mostly keep their personalities but Harry's the Dark Lord and Tom's the 'Chosen One'. Set during the same time period as the original books.)
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Series: Reverse AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930966
Kudos: 44





	1. First Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> So obviously Voldemort doesn’t exist yet. The basic timeline is that Grindelwald and Dumbledore didn’t grow up together, but they still had their epic duel. Ergo, Dumbledore is old and Grindelwald is youngish. Grindelwald killed the Potters, but spared Harry because he was just a kid. Most everything else is the same.
> 
> Also, Harry is Indian because that’s totally canon to me, so he still has Parseltongue. It’ll go more in-depth later but figured I’d clarify now

Hagrid's brown eyes were wide with confusion. "Didn't anyone tell yah Harry?" Harry, a mousy black-haired eleven year old, shook his head. "Yer a wizard, Harry," Hagrid said solemnly. "So were yer parents, up till You-Know-Who killed them."

Harry stared up at the tall man. "I thought my parents died in a car crash."

"A car crash?" Hagrid turned to the Dursleys incredulously. "Lily an' James killed in a car crash? Merlin's beard!"

"We had to tell him something!" Petunia protested from where she was half-hiding behind her husband.

Harry turned to face his aunt and uncle as well. "You knew?"

His aunt sneered. "Of course we knew, how could we not?" Petunia's face contorted in disgust. "Mum and Dad were always so proud; 'A witch' they said. I was the only one who saw her for the freak she really was." She glared at Harry. "And then she went and got herself blown up, saddling us with you," Petunia finished, spitting you out as if it were a swear word.

Vernon nodded. "When we took you in, we swore we wouldn't put up with any funny business." He wagged a fat finger at Hagrid, which Harry personally thought was a very stupid move. "And he's not going to some school to be taught by some crackpot!"

Hagrid's face darkened with anger and Vernon took a step back in fear. "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me." Taking hold of his laughingly pink umbrella, he pointed the tip at Dudley, who was stuffing his face with Harry's birthday cake. With a small squeal of fear, a pig tail and matching ears sprouted from Dudley. Harry laughed lowly as his aunt and uncle seemed to go berserk trying to comfort their son, who began panicking.

In the middle of the confusion, Hagrid gestured for Harry to follow him out the door. Soon they were off, leaving the Dursleys and the Muggle world alone for the next months.

Across London, Albus Dumbledore was visiting eleven year old Tom Riddle. The orphanage was crowded as usual, full of boys running about and aids trying to regain control. Albus smiled a bit at the chaos, and, after a quick chat with the matron, continued up the stairs to the small room Tom had to himself.

Before long, the conversation was spiraling out of control and Albus could tell that this was not a child who trusted easily. "You're a doctor, aren't you? She wants me looked at. Tell me!" The dark-haired boy demanded.

Albus folded his arms good-naturedly. "I assure you, I am no doctor. I am a professor at Hogwarts, a school for magic." Tom glanced up at him, caught off guard. "You see, Tom, you are special. You're a wizard."

Tom's blue eyes widened. "You're a wizard as well, correct?" Albus nodded. "There are others like me?"

"Yes, a whole school full, and you have a spot there as well."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Tom challenged, "Prove it."

Waving his hand, Albus set the boy's wardrobe on fire. Casting a simple Accio on the box within, the wardrobe began to shake and rattle as the box attempted to escape. "I believe there's something in there that wants out, Tom."

Standing, Tom walked over to the burning wardrobe and pulled out the untouched box. He set it on the bed and opened it hesitantly. Albus gazed at the seemingly random items, then said gently but firmly, "Stealing is not tolerated at Hogwarts. You'll return these items to their owners." It wasn't a question, but Tom nodded just the same.

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again."

Satisfied, Albus withdrew Tom's acceptance letter and handed it to the boy. "You'll find everything you need on Diagon Alley. If you would like, we can go now."

"No," Tom shook his head. "I can handle it, thank you."

"Look for the Leaky Cauldron and ask Tom, the barkeep, how to get into Diagon Alley. He'll show you." Tom nodded again. "There is a loan set up for you in Gringotts; Simply tell them your name and they will show you your gold." With that, Albus stood and went to leave, but Tom's voice stopped him.

"Sir, I can speak to snakes as well. Is that normal for wizards?"

Albus turned in the doorway. "It's unusual, but not unheard of," He answered. "If you would like, you are allowed a snake as a pet since you can control it."

"Thank you, sir."

A few hours later, Harry stood by platforms nine and ten at King's Cross. Nine and three-quarters was no-where to be found, no matter how hard Harry searched. Spotting a child pushing a trolley with an owl on it, he watched them from a distance, then gasped as they disappear right by platforms nine and ten. Walking over, he paced in front of the wall, trying to figure out where they had gone. When he found nothing, Harry stood back and waited for someone else to get on. When he still hadn't figured out how they got on after two families, he decided to ask the next family who came by.

After a few minutes, Harry spotted a family with brilliant white-blond hair, and their son had an owl on his trolley. Grinning slightly because of his good luck, Harry walked carefully towards them and asked timidly, "Excuse me, but would you happen to know how to get on platform nine and three quarters?"

The family turned to stare at him as one, looking decidedly unimpressed. "And who are you?" The father asked, thin eyebrow arched.

"Harry Potter, sir." The reaction was immediate. Harry almost laughed at how quickly their faces changed from disapproving to astonished.

"Why, of course we can show you," The mother said. "Draco here is the same year as you, I believe."

Harry nodded and smiled at Draco. "I think we met at Madame Malkins earlier."

"Oh, yes, it's you," Draco said, eye widening in recognition, then stuck out his hand. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Draco Malfoy."

Shaking his hand, Harry answered, "Nice to meet you." Releasing it, he grinned at the blond. "I'm glad I know someone at Hogwarts."

Mrs. Malfoy tutted. "Now, this is wonderful, but we have to get you boys on the train." Harry and Draco both nodded eagerly and she laughed lightly. "To get to platform nine and three quarters," She started, turning slightly to Harry, "You have to walk directly in-between the platform for nine and ten. It's best to do it at a bit of a fast walk." Harry nodded, staring at the seemingly brick wall. "Draco, you go first."

Draco nodded and pushed his trolley quickly towards the wall, disappearing through just when Harry thought he was going to crash. Harry's eyebrows shot up and he turned to Mrs. Malfoy in surprise. "Your turn," She said encouragingly. Harry nodded and walked quickly towards the wall, closing his eyes to brace for the impact that never came. When he opened them, he gasped slightly at the gorgeous maroon train in front of him. 

“Wow,” He said, green eyes wide.

Draco stood next him, smirking slightly. “C’mon, let’s go!” He tugged at Harry, who huffed a laugh and followed the blond. The Malfoys trailed behind the pair, exchanging exasperated glances over their son’s impatience.

“Here’s Crabbe and Goyle, we can sit with them,” Draco declared when they reached the middle of the train, not even bothering to check with Harry, who shrugged and followed. Lucius waved his wand and floated the boys' trunk onto the train as Draco said goodbye to his mother. Uncomfortable, Harry stood off to the side, but was quickly tugged into a hug as well.

"If you need anything, anything at all, just owl us, okay?" Narcissa said, smiling down at Harry. Biting his lip, Harry nodded. Lucius nodded at the boys cordially, and then they were on the train to Hogwarts.

On the other side of the barrier, Tom Riddle was having a similar problem of getting through the barrier. He stood off to the side and watched others go through, much like Harry had done earlier, but Tom realised what exactly was happening. Satisfied, Tom strode through the barrier, trolley in front of him.

He didn't waste time on the crowds and walked along the length of the train till he found an empty compartment near the back. Grunting, he lifted his heavy trunk onto the train and sat down, digging into his latest wizarding book, Hogwarts: A History.

It wasn't long till someone disturbed him, which was expected but annoying just the same. "-On't understand why you don't want to sit with Draco," A dark-skinned boy was saying to the brunnette, both abnormally graceful and pretty. Tom recognized them as purebloods, and internally sneered. "Are you mad at him again? I told you, he doesn't like you, I'm sorry," The boy continued as they opened the compartment door, then froze.

"Who are you?" The girl sneered, pug-nose scrunching in disgust.

Tom held out a pale hand amiably. "Tom Riddle, you are?"

"I'm Blaise Zabini, and this is Pansy Parkinson." The boy said, gesturing to his companion. "Mind if we sit with you?"

Shaking his head, Tom sat up in his seat to make room. Still sneering, Pansy sat across from Tom as Blaise relaxed next to him.

"So, I'm assuming you're a Mudblood?" Pansy was the first to break the silence, surprisingly.

Arching a dark eyebrow, Tom answered, "Yes, but I'd prefer you not call me that. I'm assuming you're both purebloods?"

Pansy opened her mouth to respond, probably something equally insulting, but Blaise cut her off lazily. "She's part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but I'm Italian." He grinned at Tom, but it wasn't friendly. "I'm practically royalty, mate."

Tom raised his eyebrows skeptically. "What part of Italy?"

"Rome. I can trace my line all the way back to Julius Caesar himself."

"Good for you," Tom nodded, basking in the surprise that flitted over the pair's face, then returned to his book.

"What do you mean, 'good for you'?" Pansy practically screeched. "You shoul-"

"You should keep your voice down," Tom interrupted smoothly. Pansy glared at him, but Tom continued, undeterred, "I say good for you because, being a Muggle-born, those titles mean nothing for me and they won't do anything for you at Hogwarts, at least in classes."

Pansy scoffed. "What, do you think you can beat us, whose blood goes back for centuries, in magic?" Blaise stayed quiet, studying Tom, who nodded at Pansy and tried to return to his book once more. "That's foolish and impossible," She declared.

"I dunno Pans, he seems like the ideal Slytherin to me," Blaise said, dark eyes probing Tom for a reaction.

Tom smiled at Blaise. "I would have to agree with that." Turning to Pansy, he said, "If you're so sure it's a foolish attempt, perhaps we could make a bet out of it."

"Sure," Pansy smirked, "Might as well get a good laugh out of it. What're the terms?"

"If I can get higher grades in all the classes we share for the first month, then you have to act like my friend and help me increase my social status. If you get higher grades, you can publicly use my example of how 'Mudbloods' are lesser."

"Deal," Pansy grinned like a shark and shook Tom's hand. "Prepare to lose."

Blaise chuckled quietly. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Meanwhile Harry was not having such a good time with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Within minutes of the train ride, he realised that Draco was a bit of a spoiled brat who loved to brag, and Crabbe and Goyle were simply his henchmen there to build his ego up even higher.

"My father and I went hunting Nogtails last weekend with the minister. It was rather boring, but they did mention some interesting details about Theo's fath-," Draco started, but Harry had heard enough.

He stood, catching the attention of the other three. "I'm gonna go to the loo; I'll be back in a bit," He said, heading out the door without a second glance. Sighing in relief when no-one followed, he walked down the narrow corridor. There were students in almost every single one, some performing magic and others goofing off with their friends. Harry grinned as he watched an older student turn his friend's hair yellow, the other completely unaware of what happened. Catching an empty compartment, he opened it and decided to take a nap for the rest of the ride. Draco would wonder where he had gone, but Harry would go back before they got to Hogwarts.


	2. Everyone’s a Snake

Yawning, Harry pulled down the curtains on the compartment windows and quickly changed into his school robes. When he finished, he grudgingly started back to Draco's compartment, already anticipating all the questions the blond would ask.

He had barely opened the compartment door when Draco pounced, just like Harry predicted. "Where were you? You said you were going to come back; I didn't know what happened," Draco ranted. Usually Draco's concern would be touching, but Harry was tired of the other boy's hovering.

Harry shrugged. "I met a few other first years, and then I took a bit of a nap in one of the empty compartments."

"Who'd you meet? I know Blaise and Pansy are around here somewhere, but I made her mad so she's probably sitting somewhere else. I haven't seen Theo and Millie anywhere, either, but they're probably sitting together and doing quiet nerdy stuff."

Shrugging again, Harry said, "I dunno, I don't think I met any of them. There was this older group," He started, telling them the story of the friend whose hair turned yellow.

Draco quirked an eyebrow, but didn't laugh. "There's lots of pranks at Hogwarts; They're not as funny when it's on you."

"I guess, but their face was pretty funny," Harry shrugged for the third time, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. He sat down and resigned himself to listening to Draco prattle on for the next hour till they got to Hogwarts.

Tom's compartment, however, had gotten significantly more friendly after Tom pulled out Forgotten Wizarding Customs, inciting interest from both Blaise and Pansy.

"Wait, you're telling me you never celebrated Samhain as a kid?" Pansy huffed, disbelief clear on her face. "How?"

"There's a Muggle version, but Samhain seems more interesting. Halloween is just dressing up in costumes and going door to door asking for candy," Tom explained. "Last year I took my sheets and dressed up as a ghost. I got tons of candy," His face twisted into a grin. "Everyone's really superstitious about it, so it's really fun to scare people, too."

Blaise and Pansy both looked intrigued. "You dressed up as a ghost?" Blaise asked.

Tom nodded. "You know, like a white creature that floats around and says 'boo'?"

"I know what a ghost is, but that is so inaccurate," Blaise laughed. "Ghosts exist in the wizarding world; There's a ton at Hogwarts, I heard."

"Well, Samhain is a lot more fun," Pansy sniffed. "We light bonfires with special wood that has cleansing runes engraved in it and dance around the fire. It's usually celebrated with family because spirits can come back and talk to us."

Tom's blue eyes widened. "Wow, that's awesome." He paused, looking between the two. "Wait, you dance?"

"Yeah, each family tends to have their own specific dance," Blaise grinned, shrugging slightly. "I guess it seems kind of silly, but when you're raised thinking it was a super important spiritual ceremony, it doesn't seem as funny."

"That makes sense. It's a bit like church then, right?"

"You could call it that." Pansy looked at Blaise for confirmation. "It's originally from when our ancestors were pagans, but it's just traditional now."

Tom furrowed his eyebrows at that and was about to ask another question, but was cut off by the train suddenly stopping. The three stood up and grabbed their trunks. Peeking out into the hallway, Tom grimaced as he saw it was slowly filling with other students. It was definitely going to be harder to get off the train then to get on.

"Well," Blaise sighed, readying himself for the crowds, "Let's go face the masses." The three stepped out of the compartment and stuck close together as they wove through the crowds.

"Firs' years! Firs' years to me!" A voice boomed over the chatter of the students. Tom looked around and spotted a huge man towering over the rest. "Firs' years over 'ere!" Blaise, Tom, and Pansy dropped their trunk off at the pile by the train, then headed towards the man. It was considerably harder going sideways when everyone else was moving forward, and Tom had to push a few people out of the way. As it was, Pansy nearly got separated from them after she got an elbow to the face. Blaise and Tom quickly devised a system of Tom in front, simply because he had no problem shoving people out of the way, and Blaise behind Pansy as the tallest. When they finally arrived, all three chuckled as they watched the other first years struggle.

"Any more firs' years?" The giant asked before leading them down a steep set of steps to where a cluster of boats were sitting. "No more 'an four to a boat!" He bellowed, standing aside so they could climb in.

Tom hesitated, looking at the other two. Blaise rolled his eyes and led them to an empty boat, climbing in undauntedly. "Well c'mon. It's not that bad," He said once he was situated.

"Ladies first," Tom gestured to Pansy, who huffed but got in. Tom was about to get in, but was stopped by a voice behind him. "Do you mind if I join you guys?" Tom turned around to see a dark-skinned boy with wild black hair.

Looking at his friends, Tom shrugged. "Sure." Biting his lip nervously, Tom stepped into the boat gingerly and sat down as soon as possible, gripping the edges tightly.

"Don't like water, eh Tom?" Blaise teased as the new boy got in after Tom.

Tom glared at him, but he only smiled bigger and wiggled, rocking the boat slightly. Both Tom and Pansy yelped, but Blaise and the boy behind Tom laughed.

Once Blaise stopped, Tom turned slightly to introduce himself. "I'm Tom Riddle, who're you?"

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter. Thanks for letting me join." The green-eyed boy shot a glance at a boat across the water where a blond was shouting at two others. "I really didn't want to be stuck with them any longer."

Tom laughed, "I don't blame you." The two fell silent as the boats began gliding across the water, and as they turned the corner, Hogwarts came into view.

It was the most beautiful thing Tom had ever seen. Lights shown through its many windows, reflecting on the lake and mirroring the stars above it. The towers reached towards the inky black sky, tall and proud and gleaming, like something out of a storybook. The lake looked like glass, and the castle grew closer and closer every second. Tom could see all the details in the stone, could tell that this was something that could've only been made by magic. The rest of the first years had fallen silent, and it seemed to descend over them like a blanket, creating an experience like none other. Now Tom understood why first years took the boats up to the castle.

All too soon they had reached the other end of the lake and had to disembark. The other three laughed at Tom's hurry to get out of the boat, but he didn't notice as he was busy staring up at the castle that was to become his home for the next seven years.

When everyone had gotten out, the man led them up to the castle, and they stood on stone steps as he knocked thrice on the giant wooden doors in front of them. They immediately swung open, revealing a stern looking witch in green and black robes. The man and witch exchanged a few words, then the man headed off, leaving the first years with the black-haired witch.

"Follow me," She said, sweeping across stone floors and leading them into a small hall. Tom craned his neck to get a better look at the hallway around them, admiring everything from the expensive antique armor to the large, moving paintings on the walls.

Pausing at the front of the hall, the witch looked at all of them before saying, "I am Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has it's own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope that each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." With those ominous parting words, Professor McGonagall turned and walked through the wooden doors that undoubtedly led to the Great Hall.

Tom patted his dark hair self-consciously before Pansy batted his hands away. "Stop, you're making it worse," She said, messing his hair up slightly. "I don't know why you have it all done up fancy, it looks much better loose."

"She's right," Harry offered from where he was standing next to Blaise, smoothing out his uniform.

Pansy huffed. "You shouldn't even talk about hair, mister 'I look like I just got hurled out of a tornado'."

"It's not my fault, nothing makes my hair flat. My aunt tried for ages." All four of the laughed at the image of someone pressing Harry's hair down desperately.

Professor McGonagall walked back in. "We're ready for you now," She said, gesturing for them to follow. Shooting apprehensive looks at each other, the hesitant first years followed the witch through the doors and into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was just as great as Tom had read it was. The ceiling was startlingly clear, with thousands of stars above them, huge arches barely visible through the night sky. Candles floated above the tables, casting flickering lights up and down the hall. There were four tables, with one at the very front of the room. Each table had a huge banner above it, and ghosts flew freely throughout the room. The man sitting in the very front and center had to be the famous Albus Dumbledore.

The elderly wizard seemed to smile at the sight of all the first years, but Tom's attention was drawn away from the head table when the group stopped in the front of the hall in between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. Sitting on a three-legged stool in front of them was a mangy old hat that looked like if you decided to put it on, you'd have lice and bugs crawling through your hair. Tom shuddered.

"When I call your name, come and sit on the stool to be Sorted," Professor McGonagall announced, opening a huge scroll. "Abbott, Hannah,"

A pale, pudgy blonde stumbled up the steps. Tom felt a rush of sympathy; It was never easy being the first. He silently thanked that his name was towards the end with his friends, so Harry and Pansy would go together and him and Blaise would go together.

Drifting out, he scanned the hall. The tables weren't very full, but that was to be expected. The war had decreased Muggle children as well, it only made sense that the wizarding world felt it as well. The front of the tables were empty, presumably for the new first years. Ghosts floated around, surprisingly translucent and gory; The man sitting at the Slytherin table was drenched in blood and Tom could see the Gryffindor ghost pulling off his head. Shuddering, he turned back to the Sorting just in time to hear Professor McGonagall call out, "Parkinson, Pansy."

Pansy paled and froze slightly before holding her head high and strutting up to the stool. She sat without any expression of fear or nervousness, something Tom was very jealous of. The hat deliberated for a few seconds before bellowing, "Slytherin!" Grinning, Pansy stood and walked over to her new house after McGonagall took the hat off.

Tom smiled in spite of himself. "At least I'll know someone in my new house," He thought to himself.

"Potter, Harry," McGonagall said next, and the Great Hall fell silent, everyone craning for a look at the 'Chosen One'. Harry quaked but didn't hesitate in walking up the steps. His dark skin seemed unnaturally pale as the Sorting Hat was set on his mess of black hair. Seconds passed by, then minutes. The hat seemed very conflicted, and Harry looked more troubled with every bit of time. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what kind of wizard the famous Boy Who Lived would be. The silence felt like a suffocating blanket, and when it was finally broken by the hat, everyone seemed to exhale in relief.

"Slytherin!" The hat shouted, much to the surprise of, well, everyone. The hall stayed quiet, and even Professor McGonagall forgot herself. Tom rolled his eyes and began clapping, ignoring the looks that were shot his way. Harry smiled at him gratefully, and the moment passed. Sitting next to Pansy, Harry seemed oblivious to the stares from the rest of Hogwarts.

"That was so awkward," Tom whispered to Blaise, scoffing softly at the pomp. Blaise nodded, but didn't say anything. The crowd around them slowly thinned until all that was left was him, Blaise, and three others.

"Riddle, Thomas," McGonagall said, and Tom forced himself to adopt an easy smile and walk towards the stool.

"Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip," He chanted to himself mentally, sitting on the wobbly stool. McGonagall set the dirty hat on his head, and suddenly there was a voice in his head besides his own.

"Well, well, Mr. Riddle, where to put you?" The hat mused in his head.

"I'd prefer Slytherin, but I'm assuming you'd know best."

The hat chuckled. "Indeed, but you may be correct in your guess. However, if you so choose, you could fit in any house of your choice." Evidently feeling Tom's confusion, the hat asked, "What do you want out of life, Mr. Riddle?"

Tom's face twisted in concentration. He'd have friends no matter where he went, that much was sure, so that out ruled Hufflepuff. Gryffindor was out as well, simply because he didn't value the same traits, but Ravenclaw and Slytherin were both tempting. He could learn so much in Ravenclaw, but Slytherin would teach him things outside of books.

"Very good, Mr. Riddle, very good. So what do you value more, all the book knowledge you could possibly want, or knowledge on how to hold yourself and manipulate others?" Tom slumped a little, then decided. "A wise decision, in my humble opinion," The hat said before bellowing, "Slytherin!"

This time there was no awkward silence, just polite clapping as McGonagall pulled the hat off his head. He nodded politely to the witch, walked down the stone steps, and sat next to Harry on the long bench by the Slytherin table. "That was so nerve-wracking," Tom whispered to Harry as they both watched the red-head be sorted into Gryffindor.

Harry smiled. "I know, it's terrible. Thanks for clapping."

"No problem, I hate awkward silences," Tom joked, then focused on Blaise's sorting.

He had no doubt the dark skinned boy would be Slytherin, but he was nervous for him just the same. His worry went unfounded, as predicted, when the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" And just like that, the four of them were together again.


End file.
